TikTok Debate Offers 4 Important Lessons for Application Security, Says Invicti’s Frank Catucci
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TikTok Debate Offers 4 Important Lessons for Application Security, Says Invicti’s Frank Catucci

Security concerns regarding TikTok have brought about new restrictions on the app, which has now been banned from government devices tied to the White House, military services, Congress and various state governments.

Frank Catucci, chief technology officer and security research lead at Invicti Security, views the TikTok debate as just one portion of the wider application security conversation, which he discussed in a piece published to Federal News Network on Monday.

According to Invicti research, 86 percent of federal cybersecurity leaders faced breach activity connected to a web application over a recent one-year period. The TikTok issue, said Catucci, has shined a light on four areas that government information technology officials should consider to create a better method of application security scanning.

Both legacy systems and modern applications are vulnerable to application security risks. Due to the quick launch times of mobile applications, Catucci said that security scanning should be scalable and thorough across all applications.

Application programming interfaces are discreet endpoints that are often overlooked by simple security scans. This lack of oversight leaves gaps that threat actors can easily exploit, and application security scanning tools must be trained on the logic and behaviors of APIs to detect these vulnerabilities, Catucci wrote.

Least privileged access is another step federal agencies can take to manage their application security, said Catucci. He noted that the majority of applications request more permissions than they need, and recommended that these permissions be regulated.

Applications can also make connections to unnecessary outside services that may go unseen. Scanning products, Catucci said, must be programmed to identify these connections to prevent connections to insecure networks.

The best security scanning approaches, per Catucci, use a combination of dynamic and static application security testing and software composition analysis in one scan while including coverage for development and production ecosystems and web applications. These tools should also be Software-as-a-Service-based to swiftly adapt to face changing threats.

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DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Uses AI to Enhance X-Ray Image Comparison of Materials
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DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Uses AI to Enhance X-Ray Image Comparison of Materials

The Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has designed an artificial intelligence-based method that would make it easier for scientists to compare X-ray images of semiconductor materials.

The lab, which is operated by Stanford University, is banking on the technology to support its Linac Coherent Light Source, the first hard X-ray free electron laser facility in the world, DOE said Thursday.

Scientists use X-rays to detect the current and changing atomic structure of materials, which help them develop new elements. The process is valuable in the creation of next-generation computers and chip-based technologies.

The new AI technique proved 10 times faster than previous methods of comparing X-ray images, and 100 times faster when combined with new hardware such as the upgraded LCLS. LCLS II is being designed to capture up to a million snapshots per second, exponentially higher than the 100 images per second capability of its previous version.

AI also enabled SLAC researchers to study high-temperature superconductors and analyze data in real-time, saving them time and providing a shortcut to pinpointing and investigating intriguing results.

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is the site of the 2-mile Stanford Linear Accelerator, the longest particle accelerator in the world.

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NASA Conducts Hot Fire Test of RS-25 Engine for Future Space Missions
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NASA Conducts Hot Fire Test of RS-25 Engine for Future Space Missions

NASA has carried out a hot fire test of an RS-25 certification engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand at Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, to validate its performance capabilities in supporting future deep space missions.

The Aerojet Rocketdyne-manufactured engine was powered for about eight and a half minutes and fired up to 113 percent power, surpassing the required 111 percent power level to help launch NASA’s Space Launch System for future Artemis missions, the agency said Friday.

The hot fire is part of a test series to certify production of the redesigned RS-25 engine for future deep space exploration missions, starting with Artemis V.

In April, NASA conducted a 12-minute hot fire test to study the pivoting capabilities of the engine.

SLS uses four RS-25 engines with a combined thrust of over 2 million pounds.

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NSF Invests in Radar Development for Weather Observation, Prediction
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NSF Invests in Radar Development for Weather Observation, Prediction

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research has secured $91.8 million in funding from the National Science Foundation to support the development of an airborne phased array radar for severe weather observation and forecasting.

NSF said Thursday APAR will be attached to an aircraft to get close 3D views of high-impact weather events, such as severe storms, to help researchers see deeper into cloud and rain formations to create weather prediction models.

APAR will also work to collect high-resolution measurements of storm dynamics and intensity to enable researchers in recording the changing life cycle of severe storms.

Rick Spinrad, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said APAR will be mounted on the C-130J hurricane hunter aircraft NOAA is planning to acquire.

“The funding from NSF and the work of NCAR and other partners on this Airborne Phased Array Radar will enable a transformative leap in our radar and data-collecting capabilities and lead to improved forecast guidance,” Spinrad said.

APAR activities will be led by research teams from the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Colorado State University, State University of New York Stony Brook, University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Oklahoma.

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GSA’s Laura Stanton: IT Professional Services SIN Could Help Agencies Accelerate IT Procurement Process
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GSA’s Laura Stanton: IT Professional Services SIN Could Help Agencies Accelerate IT Procurement Process

Laura Stanton, a General Services Administration official, said federal agencies looking to gain access to a pool of experienced information technology vendors, achieve cost savings and speed up the procurement of IT platforms and services on the Multiple Award Schedule should consider using the IT Professional Services Special Item Number.

Federal agencies spent approximately $10 billion on IT products and services through the IT Professional Services SIN in 2022, Stanton, assistant commissioner for the office of IT category at GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, wrote in a blog post published Thursday.

Some of the federal agency users of the SIN are NASA, Customs and Border Protection, GSA and various components of the Department of Defense.

Stanton discussed how a federal agency offering aid to foreign countries used the IT Professional Services SIN to acquire a secure application from a team of three small businesses in support of its Field Employee Support Tablet Initiative project.

“By leveraging the expertise of contractors through the IT Professional Services SIN, agencies can implement IT solutions that meet their specific needs, improve efficiency, and better fulfill their missions,” she added.

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Army Solicits Proposals for Data-Wiping Technology Development
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Army Solicits Proposals for Data-Wiping Technology Development

The Army Applied Small Business Innovation Research Program is inviting small businesses to submit proposals to develop data-wiping technology to prevent adversaries from extracting critical information from military equipment.

The solicitation calls for novel technologies that can digitally erase sensitive field-programmable gate array systems and prevent reverse-engineering of hardware used on abandoned military technologies, the U.S. Army said Thursday.

According to the solicitation, the service aims to assess technologies that incorporate trigger mechanisms for automatic activation and information erasure.

Up to two small businesses will be selected to receive Army SBIR Direct to Phase II contracts worth $1.3 million each to mature and demonstrate their technologies.

The project will run for two years and interested companies may submit proposals between June 14 and July 18.

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Sidus Space to Build Additional Hardware for NASA’s Artemis Mission; Carol Craig Quoted
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Sidus Space to Build Additional Hardware for NASA’s Artemis Mission; Carol Craig Quoted

Sidus Space has been subcontracted to produce additional hardware for NASA’s Artemis initiative and Space Launch System Manned Vehicle.

Under the subcontract with Craig Technologies, Sidus is expected to construct the Umbilical Quick Disconnects on the Dynetics-developed Universal Stage Adapter, the Cape Canaveral, Florida-based organization announced last week.

Carol Craig, founder and CEO of Sidus Space, noted that the Umbilical Quick Disconnects are predicted to be an important piece of hardware on the SLS manned vehicle.

“The award of this subcontract further validates Sidus’ ability to deliver mission-critical hardware to our key partners and vendors,” she said.

Craig added that the organization is “proud to be a part of” the Artemis program’s efforts to put a human on the moon and progress deep space exploration.

NASA’s Artemis program is focused on bringing people back to the moon, building a long-term human presence on its surface and setting the stage for manned missions to Mars. The SLS, which will carry the Orion spacecraft, astronauts and cargo to the moon in one trip, represents the core of the initiative. It can also be tailored to deep-space locations.

Sidus’ Umbilicals were first delivered to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for testing in July 2022. The subcontract represents the company’s authorization to manufacture the Qualification test set Umbilicals and conduct the related Qualification testing to guarantee that the Umbilicals will function properly for the Universal Stage Adapter on the Artemis rocket.

Dynetics, a Leidos subsidiary, was awarded the prime contract to build the Universal Stage Adapter in June 2017. Less than a year later, the company concluded the preliminary design review for the technology, which is intended to enable the SLS to transport large payloads, including habitats, landers and scientific equipment alongside humans and the Orion spacecraft.

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Expanded Commercial Service USSF Office Aims to Synchronize Government-Industry Innovation; Col. Richard Kniseley Quoted
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Expanded Commercial Service USSF Office Aims to Synchronize Government-Industry Innovation; Col. Richard Kniseley Quoted

The Space System Command’s newly amplified Commercial Space Office is intending to take advantage of industry innovation and growth to equip warfighters with the best products and services from the sector, said Col. Richard Kniseley, senior materiel leader of COMSO.

The expanded version of the Commercial Services Office is also collaborating with the National Reconnaissance Office, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and NASA to foster its private sector partnerships, he said Thursday.

COMSO resulted from the SSC’s addition of responsibilities to CSCO as part of the U.S. Space Force’s resilience goal, which it aims to meet by 2026. The division is an amalgamation of the SSC Front Door, the Commercial Satellite Communications Office, the Space Domain Awareness Marketplace, the early-stage Commercial Augmented Space Reserves program, and USSF tech innovation arm SpaceWERX.

The office is exploring areas where the private sector has significantly advanced, such as launch services; space situational awareness, on-orbit servicing and logistics; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; range and network operations; weather monitoring; and data generation, analysis and transmission.

Kniseley said their office will work on minimizing duplicate tech development efforts between government and industry in order to speed up innovation.

“We will focus on understanding how to implement flexible contracting, aligned with the [Federal Acquisition Regulation], and leveraging the successes of mission partners, including the NRO and Space Development Agency, to enable this office to move with speed and agility to identify and integrate commercial capabilities in support of the warfighter,” Kniseley explained.

Debt Ceiling Agreement Could Impact $16B Worth of Pentagon’s Unfunded Priorities
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Debt Ceiling Agreement Could Impact $16B Worth of Pentagon’s Unfunded Priorities

The bipartisan bill to address the debt limit could leave a list of low-priority defense projects worth approximately $16 billion unfunded, Reuters reported Friday.

The “unfunded priorities” of service branches include Abrams tanks, a ship for the U.S. Marine Corps and an aircraft.

According to the report, the debt agreement capped spending on national security programs at $886 billion in fiscal year 2024 and would push the Department of Defense and other agencies to look for ways on how to fund unfunded priorities that would normally be integrated into defense appropriations and policy bills as last-minute additions.

CNN reported that the bipartisan measure to suspend the debt ceiling through January 2025 was signed into law by President Joe Biden on Saturday, preventing a default on U.S. obligations.

“I just signed into law a bipartisan budget agreement that prevents a first-ever default while reducing the deficit, safeguarding Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and fulfilling our scared obligation to our veterans,” the president said in a tweet.

The Senate voted 63-36 on Thursday to pass and send the legislation to Biden’s desk for his signature.

The upper chamber’s move came a day after the House cleared the measure, which would impose a 3 percent limit on increases for military spending in fiscal year 2024, increase the age of individuals who must work to get food assistance and accelerate energy and infrastructure projects.

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DHS Pursues IT Modernization by Transitioning to More Iterative Strategy, Per Department Officials
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DHS Pursues IT Modernization by Transitioning to More Iterative Strategy, Per Department Officials

Eric Hysen, chief information officer of the Department of Homeland Security, and two other DHS officials said the department is now advancing information technology modernization by shifting from a “big bang” approach to a “more incremental, iterative, and measured strategy” that would enable DHS to retire legacy platforms and modernize key services using best practices adopted in the private sector.

“Our newly-initiated modernization programs focus on defining a Minimum Viable Product—initial functionality that can launch within months, not years,” the three DHS officials said in a joint testimony delivered Wednesday before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s emerging threats and spending oversight subcommittee.

“From there, the Department follows an agile software development methodology that gathers requirements, builds, tests, and launches software in rapid, iterative cycles rather than waiting to gather all requirements up front,” they added.

Hysen testified alongside Federal Emergency Management Agency CIO Charles Armstrong and Yemi Oshinnaiye, assistant administrator for IT at the Transportation Security Administration, during the Senate subpanel hearing.

The DHS IT leaders said the department’s approach could be broken down into two strategies: adopting a technical approach to IT modernization and cultivating tools and resourcing.

Hysen said DHS is outlining its “overall modernization priorities” in a new IT strategic document that could be issued before the existing four-year plan expires at the end of fiscal year 2023, according to a report by Federal News Network.

“One of the results of that ‘big bang’ approach with single system integrators was that every IT system would build everything from the ground up,” Hysen told lawmakers.

“They would have their own infrastructure, their own support teams, their own login systems, for example. And as we’ve moved to modernize, we’re looking to break that down and offer up common enterprise services for common pieces of functionality,” he continued.

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